DeFrancesco eyes new job with team

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MILWAUKEE — Astros interim manager Tony DeFrancesco said he looks forward to continuing in the organization after general manager Jeff Luhnow reiterated that DeFrancesco would be offered a position.

DeFrancesco indicated that a return to managing Class AAA Oklahoma City, where he was when promoted to take over for the fired Brad Mills, was a possibility. He also is eyeing a spot on new manager Bo Porter’s major league staff, where he said he’d “love to stay” or in the front office or a different player development role.

The seat that he will occupy for five more games remains his ultimate goal, though.

“I think I’ve proven to myself that I can manage at this level, and hopefully there will be more opportunities down the road,” DeFrancesco said. “The opportunity I had here for what’s going to be 41 games, I’m very proud of being an Astro manager and taking over the team. I thought we turned it around a little bit. Our goal right now is to get to .500 for the month of September.”

They are currently 12-13 in September and 13-23 in his tenure.

DeFrancesco was informed after Wednesday night’s game that he would not be getting the full-time job.

“I went through the process like any other manager, any of the candidates that were on the list — I know it was a big list,” DeFrancesco said. “I got down to the final three or four. I’m very proud of that. I’m glad Jeff and Jim (Crane) gave me the opportunity.

“They made the right choice. Bo was the guy they wanted, and there are no regrets on my part. No regrets on Jeff when he told me the other day that they were going to go with Bo.”

Castro’s numbers continue to climb
Jason Castro’s two-homer performance Friday night was the first of his career and the first by an Astros catcher since J.R. Towles took Pedro Martinez deep twice at Philadelphia in 2009.

Castro now has five for the season and continued the steady upward trajectory of his offensive numbers.

Castro now has a .742 on-base plus slugging, which is 15 points higher than the average National League catcher.

“I think it’s just been getting reps,” said Castro, who missed all of last season with a knee injury. “I’ve been really happy with the way things have been going and hopefully I’ll just be able to build off of it.”

Abad’s season comes to end
Fernando Abad was shut down for the season after his throwing session Friday produced more soreness in his oblique.

Originally, the Astros were going to try to use Abad once more Monday as part of a six-man rotation, but that will be dropped to five. Lucas Harrell (at most five innings) and Bud Norris will be moved up to Monday and Tuesday, respectively, at Chicago; Edgar Gonzalez, Friday’s starter, will start the season finale.